Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Typically chicken curry is a quicky meal for us that we make using a sauce from a jar. We've found some good ones that we like at World Market & usually keep a few in the pantry. As good as these jarred sauces are I still feel like I should be able to make it myself. I've tried a couple recipes over the past year with some disappointing results (usually they are just too bland).This time I seem to be on the right path. I started with a a few different ideas from recipes around the web & then used what I had in the house. The flavor of this curry turned out really good, the mixture of seasonings seems to be the one we've been looking for & it smells absolutely fabulous. I like the smoothness the coconut milk adds to it. This curry is quite mild so Matt added a little Sriracha to his, next time I think I'll add a little to the whole batch to give it that extra bite. I added some golden raisins & almonds to mine & really liked the sweetness of the raisins & the crunch of the almonds with it.

Now before anyone says anything, I'm sure this is not a true curry by any means, its probably more like a curry you'd get in England, but it is the type of curry we like.

In a soup pot heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken & cook until just browned. Remove the chicken & set it aside. Add the onion & sauté until soft & translucent. Turn the heat down to medium-low & add the mustard seeds. Cook the seed until the soften a little. Add the cumin, tumeric, curry & cinnamon. Stir constantly until it becomes fragrant, this should only take about a minute. Add the tomatoes & tomato paste. Stir until the tomatoes break down to sauce like consistency. Add the chicken, chicken broth, coconut milk & Sriracha & bring to a simmer. Cover & simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir in the gharum masala. Serve over rice. Top with almonds & raisins.

Zach and I usually end up using jarred or tinned curry paste when we make curries too since we usually make it for a quick dinner too- hopefully one day we'll be adventurous enough to make it from scratch.